Butterfly facts

Check out our 10 facts on the Monarch Butterfly...

  1. A Monarch butterfly’s wing span can reach up to 5 inches!
  2. Female Monarchs have thicker veins in their wings.
  3. Their bright red/ orange colour warns predators off eating them.
  4. Every year, Monarch butterflies in North America migrate South on a massive journey to escape the cold weather.
  5. Scientists can’t work out how the butterflies know where to fly to – no butterfly lives long enough to make the journey more than once in their lifetime.
  6. Metamorphosis – the process by which the tiny eggs laid by butterflies transform into fully-grown butterflies – takes roughly one month.
  7. Once formed, adult Monarchs don’t grow at all!
  8. Their correct scientific name is Danaus plexippus.
  9. A Monarch’s brain is no bigger than the head of a pin.
  10. Non-migrating Monarchs live only 2-5 weeks, whereas those that make the huge journey can survive up to 9 months!

Find out more about butterflies in the latest issue of NG Kids!

Words: Sophie Downes